Grizz Win 4-1 in Series Opener
Boise, Idaho - Peyton Jones saved 31 of 32 and Ben Tardif scored 2 goals to lead the Utah Grizzlies to a 4-1 win over the Idaho Steelheads on a Wednesday night at Idaho Central Arena. Nate Clurman and Dylan Fitze added goals for Utah and Dakota Raabe had 2 assists, which were his first 2 pro points.
Clurman got Utah on the board first 13:33 in. Raabe picked up the assist for his first pro point. Less than 3 minutes later Fitze scored on a centering pass from Raabe. Fitze now has a goal in 2 of his last 3 games. Utah led 2-0 after 1 period, outshooting Idaho 16 to 6.
Ben Tardif scored on a nice give and go from Trey Bradley 8:38 into the second period to give Utah a 3-0 lead. Both teams had 14 shots in the 2nd period. Utah led 3-0 after 2. The Grizz are now 27-1 when leading after 2 periods.
Tardif scored his 2nd of the game and 20th of the year 13:13 into the 3rd. Bradley got the assist on both of Tardif's goals. Idaho got on the board shorthanded with 20 seconds left as Jack Becker scored shorthanded. Both teams went 0 for 2 0n the power play.
Peyton Jones was great in net as he saved 31 of 32 to earn his team leading 16th win of the year. Idaho's Jake Kupsky saved 33 of 37.
Zach Tsekos made his pro debut with the Grizzlies. He signed an ATO (Amateur Tryout) on April 4.
Utah outshot Idaho 37 to 32. The Grizz are now 22-10-0-1 when outshooting opponents.
While the Grizzlies did not clinch a playoff spot on Wednesday they inch closer to punching their ticket. Utah can make the playoffs with a win on Friday night at Idaho.
The series continues on Friday night at 7:10 pm. Utah is now 6-5-0-1 vs Idaho this year. The Grizz have 2 home games left in the regular season on April 15-16. Saturday the 16th is Star Wars Night and Fan Appreciation Night.
3 stars
1. Peyton Jones (Utah) - 31 of 32 saves.
2. Dakota Raabe (Utah) - 2 assists.
3. Dylan Fitze (Utah) - 1 goal.
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